Democratic Split

Other news to note Washington

April 25, 1989

DEMOCRATS have a bill up in the House that was put forth to test President Bush's commitment to the homeless and the war on drugs. It has also split party members in the House. It calls for a little more than $1 billion more in funding for those causes, and was put in a ''dire emergency supplemental'' spending measure that cleared the House Appropriations Committee last Tuesday. It may go to the House floor Wednesday. Democrats in that committee said it would be a ''reality test.'' But Chairman Leon Paneta, D-Calif., of the Budget Committee called it a budget buster for sure - the argument against it that Bush's people would be expected to make. Other Democrats say the homeless-drug war bill may well backfire into a test of whether Democrats really plan to live up to agreements to work with Bush on reducing the deficit.